New Beginnings
by Elusive Nightingale
Summary: Sort of AU. For her entire life, Yuna has lived in Besaid and has lead a quiet life. After graduating high school, she decides to follow her dreams and applies to a certain prestigious academy. Determined to see what it's like outside of her hometown, Yuna will finally do what she wants and nothing will get in her way. Or will it?
1. Chapter 1

It was finally over. Those four arduous years that had put Yuna through hell with all the exams, all-nighter essays, and not to mention the stressful projects. As she accepted her diploma, she scanned the crowd for her father's face with bright eyes and a beaming smile. Once she saw him, she waved and he gave her a nod of approval with a slight smile. Yuna made her way back to the rest of her classmates and they congratulated her with high-fives and hugs.

"And now to bring the graduation ceremony to a close, we have a speech from our valedictorian, Yuna!"

Applause and even a few whistles followed. The auditorium fell silent as she walked across the stage to where the principal, Lulu waited for her behind the wooden, yet glossy podium. The silence was deafening and the only sound that could be heard were her footsteps and the occasional cough from the audience. She hadn't been nervous at all before, in fact, she had been excited to speak for her class. But as soon as she saw how many people were there, her heart began to pound heavily. Not a single chair was empty. Yuna felt Lulu's slender hands squeeze her shoulders reassuringly as she whispered,

"You can do this. If anyone is capable of making this happen, it's you."

"Thank you, Lulu-san."

The raven-haired woman smiled knowingly and gave Yuna one more pat on the back before returning to where the other administrators stood proudly. Yuna tapped the microphone a few times, exhaled quietly to calm herself, and then she spoke.

"Everyone...everyone here has made it through the hardest four years of our lives. We have had happy times, and sad ones as well. We may have lost dreams or friends. But today is the day that we reap the benefits of our labor."

Yuna paused for a moment and then joked,

"Our lives belong to us again."

The crowd of adoring relatives, friends, and family members laughed earnestly at her jab at how the students were always busy with schoolwork.

"We can make new dreams and start anew. Though the journey will be hard, we have our whole lives ahead of us. The road is ahead of us, so let's start out today."

Yuna was unaware that her speech had caught the attention of a young professor and his butler. The man watched her curiously as she got lost in the passion of her words. Her unique eyes: one blue and the other green, burned with resolve and confidence. He was presently surprised that a high-school student was so eloquent and articulate with words, but he supposed that he should not have expected less. She was the valedictorian after all. Leaps and bounds ahead of everyone in her class.

"Master Seymour?" an old voice whispered.

"Yes, Tromell?" he answered without taking his eyes off of the young girl.

"We really must be going. I do not think anyone from this school is going to apply to Bevelle Academy. I spoke with quite a few of the parents and most of these children will continue their quiet existence here in Besaid." Tromell replied while wringing his wrinkly hands together worriedly. Noticing Seymour's silence, Tromell asked,

"Are you not interested, Master Seymour?"

"Of course I am interested. However, we must not jump to conclusions. I'm sure that we can persuade a few or possibly make some deals with them." Seymour replied with a wry smile.

"Yes, yes, of course. How brilliant you are, Master Seymour!" Tromell whispered happily as he took his seat next to Seymour.

"I just have three more things to say, everyone. We'll never forget our memories here and we don't plan to. And last but not least, we did it!" Yuna exclaimed excitedly.

All of her classmates rushed to the podium where Yuna was and lifted her petite form onto their shoulders while throwing their caps into the air. Cheers filled the stadium and proud family members gave them a standing ovation with tears of joy brimming in their eyes. After a few minutes, they set Yuna down and everyone ran down to the audience to meet with their multiple friends and family. Yuna raced through the crowd to give her father a tight hug. He buried his face in her short, brunette hair and said,

"You did it, Yuna."

Feeling her warm tears on his coat, he pulled away from the embrace to wipe her tears. Ruffling her hair, he continued,

"No crying, alright? We've got some celebrating to do, sweetheart."

"Sorry." Yuna responded as she sniffled a little and looked up at him. "I'm just really happy. I don't know what to do with all these feelings. I'll finally be able to chase my dreams."

"Of course. I won't be there to stop your flight anymore." A womanly voice commented.

Father and daughter looked behind them to see Lulu approaching with a bittersweet smile on her face along with Wakka and Kimahri.

"Lulu-san! Wakka! Kimahri!" Yuna said eagerly.

She hugged each of them and accepted the flowers that Wakka had brought. They were a bouquet of red roses and she immediately thanked Wakka graciously.

"Whoa there, yah? Those aren't from me, Yuna. Read the tag, yah?"

Confused, she moved aside some of the plastic and squinted at the tag. The name inscribed there shocked her and she nearly fell over, but her father caught her.

"Who is it from?" Lulu asked sharply.

"Tidus."

"You mean the boy who dropped out of high school to join The Besaid Aurochs? The nerve of him to do such a thing." Lulu sighed while shaking her head.

"Kimahri dislike human boy. Too reckless." The Ronso's tail twitched agitatedly as he spoke.

"Should I be worried?" Yuna's father asked as he raised one eyebrow.

"Not at all, Braska." Lulu said. "A plant cannot grow unless it gets watered, right? So, if we ignore Tidus and his advances, he'll give up."

"That's pretty cold, Lu. Besides, what am I gonna say to the kid? He's on my blitzball team, yah? He'll be asking about Yuna, you know?"

"Like I said, ignore him. If he mentions Yuna, walk away or change the subject. If you have to, only talk about blitzball."

"Pardon me, may I speak to the valedictorian of this lovely school?" A smooth tenor voice interrupted.

Yuna was startled at who it was. He was one of the esteemed professors at Bevelle Academy, the prestigious school that she had applied to. She was even more shocked at his appearance. In all of her eighteen years, she had never met a Guado. Naturally, she had seen them in textbooks and things of that nature, but he looked nothing like those pictures. His facial veins were not as prominent and his fingers were not as long. He smirked at her inquisitive and confused gaze until Braska stepped forward.

"I was not aware that you had a student here that was graduating, Seymour."

"Hello, Lord Braska. I'm actually here to look for potential pupils for Bevelle Academy as you are, I presume?" Seymour said as he glanced at Yuna.

"No, nothing like that." Braska answered.

He put his arm around Yuna and resumed,

"This is my daughter, Lord Seymour. She has graduated today."

"I was not aware that you had one. How many other secret children have you hidden across Spira?"

Lulu regarded Seymour with a cool look and was tight-lipped as she asked,

"Are you insulting him? If you are, please don't dance around the subject and say what is on your mind."

"He is one of my dear colleagues. I would never insult him. Perhaps it is you who read into what I said and drew your own conclusions based on what lies within your heart. You think that it's unfair that Lord Braska lives lavishly in Bevelle while his daughter has a humbler life, am I correct?"

"You are far from the truth. It is wise to keep quiet on matters that you have no idea about, Lord Seymour. Don't try to shame us when you have no idea-"

"Lulu. That is enough." Braska interjected with a sigh. "I don't want arguments on this special day."

The dark haired woman reluctantly fell silent, but crossed her arms in defiance.

Stepping out of her father's grasp, Yuna stepped timidly towards Seymour and asked shyly,

"You wished to speak with me, Lord Seymour?"

She nervously picked off non-existant lint from her graduation gown and kept her gaze to the floor. Seymour was amused by her extreme politeness and smiled gently.

"Yes, I wanted to congratulate you on your beautiful speech. It truly entranced me."

Seymour only spoke half of the truth. In actuality, it was the girl who gave the address that had enchanted him.

"I didn't think it was worth such praise. I had to cut out a lot of it, so it wasn't very long. But, I'm glad you liked it."

Seymour was eager to continue their conversation, but he was stopped short by her many chaperones. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. Lulu stepped between them and grabbed Yuna's hand to lead her away.

"Everyone else has left. There is no sense in sticking around here any longer."

"Ah, but I haven't finished talking with Yuna."

"Conversation is done. Lulu say we leave, so we leave." Kimahri added as he joined Lulu.

"Wait up, yah!" Wakka exclaimed. He ran after them in a hurry to catch up.

"I apologize for their attitude, Lord Seymour. But I promise that you'll get another chance to speak with my daughter as you seem so fascinated by her. I've never seen you act so kind to someone before." Braska said.

"It is fine. I am used to others treating me with disdain. As for Yuna, I simply thought that she would be a great addition to Bevelle Academy, wouldn't you agree?"

Seymour's light, lavender eyes cut to Braska's face for a response. He seemed rather unnerved by the suggestion and closed his eyes in thought.

"I don't think Yuna is suited for the school that we serve, Lord Seymour. She is far too timid for such a big city and would miss everyone here greatly. I am also aware that while luxurious and beautiful, Bevelle can be a dangerous place that is ill-suited to a young girl. That is one of the reasons as to why I entrusted my only daughter to my good friends here. Surely you can understand?"

"You speak as though you know her heart. Do you truly know what she seeks beyond this isolated island?"

"I am her father, Lord Seymour!"

Offended, Braska gaped at the young professor. In return, Seymour placed his hands behind his back and paced around the auditorium without bothering to reply. The two men remained in complete silence until Tromell arrived.

"There you are Master Seymour!"

Tromell strolled towards them as quickly as his aging body would allow. He was visibly surprised to see Lord Braska in the quaint island of Besaid and greeted him warmly. The old butler was unaware of the previous tension in the room.

"Ah! Lord Braska! What a pleasant surprise! What could have brought you here to Besaid, if I may ask?"

"My daughter, Yuna, graduated today. I couldn't possibly miss such a big occasion, so I hurried over." Braska replied, and seeing Tromell's confusion, he continued, "She's been such a timid and easily frightened girl even from a young age, so I sent her here to live."

Deciding not to press the issue, Tromell coughed awkwardly and turned his attention to Seymour.

"Shall we depart?"

"No, I would like to remain here for a while. We can arrange living quarters at the temple."

Braska was beginning to feel put off by Seymour's presence in Besaid and more importantly, the interest he had suddenly taken in Yuna. He knew the young professor could be manipulative and Yuna was naive in such matters, only believing in the best of people. Another unfortunate trait that she had inherited from her mother. He only hoped that Lulu and the others would be able to shield her. He watched solemnly as Tromell and Seymour exited the building in high spirits.

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><p><strong>R&amp;R! Update coming soon!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Lulu and the others prepared for sleep in their tent except for Yuna. She was quiet and kept to herself, which was not like her. She was reading a book by candlelight, but the words blurred because of her sudden tears. She quickly blinked them back when she saw Lulu coming towards her.

"Yuna? Is something wrong?"

"N-no, nothing at all. I'm fine really."

Lulu's belts clinked together loudly as she sat next to the troubled girl. She placed one of her warm hands over Yuna's and gently stroked her hair with the other. Lulu watched Yuna with a careful eye and said,

"You can tell me anything, you know that, right? Don't keep your troubles to yourself."

Yuna closed her eyes in thought before saying quietly,

"Lulu...? Can you tell me what the priestesses do?"

"Their job requires quite a bit of discipline. They can never abandon the temple, so they live there most of their lives. The everyday routine is simple and they follow immutable laws of abnegation. Devoting their entire lives to Yevon, the Fayth, and the Aeons. It is a strenuous lifestyle, but I believe you can do it with ease, Yuna."

Yuna bit her bottom lip in hesitation. She wanted to voice her opinion and tell Lulu that she didn't want to become like that. That she had always hated the idea of becoming priestess. That she had her own desires in life. But she was bound by her selflessness and said nothing of the sort. Her eyes were downcast and when her lips quivered, she bit down on them to prevent Lulu from noticing. She swallowed a lump in her throat.

"It sounds...wonderful. I can't wait."

"I know you're lying. You're very easy to read, Yuna."

"Ah...um...well..."

Ignoring Yuna's stuttering, she let go of Yuna and treaded softly across the floor to not wake the others. Yuna sat there quietly and watched Lulu rummage through an old and slightly musty chest. The older woman swore under her breath and whispered to no one in particular,

"It's gone. How...how did this happen?"

"What's gone?" Yuna asked, her eyes alert and looking about the tent.

"An important treasure to your father. He entrusted me with it and I let it get stolen."

"How do you know it was stolen? Maybe he took it with him before he left."

"That is highly unlikely. It reminds him of many things that he'd rather forget. Those memories plague him."

"We should look for it. What does it look like?"

Yuna was eager to help. If it was that dear to her father, then the least she could do was try to find it. Lulu chuckled and placed one hand on her hip.

"It's my problem, Yuna. Don't worry about it. Besides, you need to get some rest."

"But the treasure-"

"Leave it alone." Lulu said more harshly than she needed to.

Yuna stood up abruptly and stared at the ground.

"I'm going to go for a walk."

"Go for a walk? With all these fiends around and at this hour? Don't be ridiculous. You need to go to sleep."

Lulu grabbed Yuna's soft arm firmly and brought her over to her cot. She put a warm, woolen blanket around Yuna and gave her a loving hug that she didn't return, to Lulu's shock. Yuna pulled away from the embrace and lied down on the cot, clutching her quilt to her chest. Once she was sure that Yuna was asleep, she retired to her own slumber hoping that Yuna would be her normally cheerful self again.

At sound of Lulu's soft snoring, Yuna slid from underneath her blankets sneakily and pulled her clothing chest out of a corner near the cot. It made a surprisingly resounding noise as she dragged it into the open. Anxiously, Yuna snapped her head around to look at the others to see if they had awoken. Each of them were sound asleep and Yuna made a sigh of relief. If she was caught, she would be in some serious trouble. She hastily unlocked the latches and opened it hurriedly. She picked up a document from within and tip-toed out of the tent and into the dark night.

Once she was outside, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath and calm her heart rate. She gingerly rested her small hand over her heart and glanced at her tent. She had just defied Lulu for the first time. She was sure that Lulu was going to be extremely furious with her and she paled at the thought. But if she succeeded here, then she could prolong the ticking time bomb that was Lulu's fury. Seeing Lord Seymour again was her only hope since she had left believing in the chance that he was still in the island. Deciding to check the temple first, Yuna ran across the dirt and stopped in front of the almost haunting temple when she heard voices. She hid behind one of the side walls and peered out of it to see who it was. Two guards were patrolling and they were obviously drunk.

"Hey, mate. Did'ja hear that noise? It sounded likah person."

"Yeah, I did. I thinkah saw 'em go over heres." The drunk guard replied as he pointed an unsteady finger in Yuna's direction.

"Well don't just stand theer. Let's go."

Yuna held her breath as she saw them approaching. They stopped in front of her and looked her up and down. She was only in a flimsy night gown that blew around in the midnight breeze, giving them a view of her lithe thighs.

"Hey there, Lil' Missy." One of them said while licking his lips. "What're you doing out here? It's past yer bedtime, yah?"

Yuna was too scared to even breathe, let alone talk. Her chest constricted with fear and her throat felt dry. One of them had the audacity to rub his grimy fingers on her arm and breathe by her neck. It smelt like alcohol and she gagged. He tried to slide her dress off and in self-defense, she landed a clean right hook on his face and kicked the other one in the stomach. In her fright, she sprinted off into the temple while they were knocked into the ground. Not thinking straight, she burst into one of the guest rooms off the temple. One that just so happened to be Seymour's. He stopped writing and took off his glasses when he saw her.

"Yuna! What brings you here?"

"Lord Seymour! It's terrible! I'm afraid I just hit someone. Well, two people actually."

It was hard for him to imagine her raising her fists against anyone and he almost laughed at the thought.

"They were harassing me, so I was scared and I hit them. I punched one and kicked the other and knocked them out. It wasn't their fault though. They were drunk and were bound to act irrationally. I could've ran away and-"

"Please, be silent, Yuna. There's no need to apologize. They are at fault, not you. Where are they? I should have them punished for acting in such a way."

"Um...Lord Seymour? Please don't punish them. I am the one who came to the temple when I should be sleeping. I put myself in this situation, so please don't do it."

Seymour was pleased at her honesty and opted to agree with her request. He pulled out a chair for her and offered her one of his robes. Yuna was grateful for these gestures considering her current clothing and that it would've been rude to keep her standing. Seymour sat down as well and cocked his head slightly to the side as he looked at her.

"Very well. They will be spared."

"Thank you."

"What is that paper in your hand, Yuna?"

She gave it to him and answered,

"I filled it out a long time ago, when I was only in my second year of high school. I never got a chance to mail it out, but I thought I could ask you in person."

"You want to attend Bevelle Academy?"

Yuna nodded, her eyes blazing with determination. Seymour decided to test her resolve.

"Even though your guardians and your father don't approve?"

"I snuck out tonight for a reason, Lord Seymour. I didn't come here just to be told no. If you refuse, then I shall go to Bevelle by myself and I'll ask the headmaster to accept me."

"You surprise me every time I have the pleasure of seeing you. I believe you have the capacity to join Bevelle Academy-these marks are impeccable. I'm impressed by this and your resolve."

Yuna flushed as he praised her, if a Bevelle Academy professor was impressed then she must be doing something right. She glanced shyly at him as he perused her records and found herself studying his features. His facial veins were light blue and matched his oddly textured hair. His lavender eyes were mixed with an almost sapphire color that appeared to be smoldering. His ears were slightly pointed.

"Have you never seen a Guado?" Seymour asked as he was annoyed by her staring. He assumed she was disgusted with his appearance.

"In books, y-yes, but you don't look like them."

"That is because I'm only half-Guado. Repulsive, I know."

"Not at all. You are a very kind person and I shall judge you based on that, not your heritage."

He wasn't sure he could believe her words, but he was further intrigued by her ability to gain confidence and passion when she was trying to uplift someone. It was touching, to say the least.

"Besides, I'm not completely human either. I have no place to scorn someone of a mixed background."

Now it was Seymour's turn to scrutinize her looks to find traces of another race. She looked like a normal human girl and his brows furrowed in confusion. The only thing rare about her was her different colored eyes. One blue and the other green, however, it wasn't uncommon for humans to have green or blue eyes.

"It's my green eye."

He looked sharply at her in anticipation.

"It lacks a spiral, but I am half Al Bhed."

Seymour set down the papers and made his way over to her. He knew there was something about her that had drawn him to her besides her disposition. To think it was that they were both half-breeds made him feel closer to her somehow. He placed one hand on her shoulder and said in a benevolent tone,

"I will allow you to attend Bevelle Academy. I would prefer that you stay in the temple until morning. I don't want you to have another run in with some hooligans."

"Thank you, Lord Seymour."

"It is nothing. I will sleep in another room."

Yuna gasped, "You're not worried that I might take something of yours?"

"Will you?" Seymour asked with a smirk.

"No!"

"Then I believe you."

After he left, Yuna heard his footsteps get further away until they disappeared altogether. She dozed off in her chair with his robe still around her. Its clean, forest-like scent calmed her as she drifted asleep.

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><p><strong>R&amp;R! Update coming soon!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, Yuna woke up with a large yawn and she stretched her arms far above her head. She wiped the sleep from her eyes as she got out of the hard chair she had fell asleep in with Seymour's robe still wrapped around her. She accidentally stepped on its long train and sent herself crashing to the ground. Yuna grimaced in pain and stood back up while rubbing her still throbbing head.

"Good morning, Yuna. Are you always this clumsy?"

Frightened by the sudden sound of Seymour's voice, Yuna jumped back, tripped over the chair, and landed on her behind. This morning was off to a great start.

"My apologies. I did not mean to alarm you." Seymour's gentlemanly voice intoned.

He extended his hand to her, which she graciously accepted and he lifted her petite form off the ground easily.

"It's alright. But how long have you been in here?"

"I came here merely to retrieve a few items, after all, it is my room."

"O-oh." Yuna said quietly and stared at her hands.

"Unless..." Seymour began as he took her chin in his hands gently. "You are accusing me of being in here for..._indecent _reasons?"_  
><em>

Yuna could feel her face heating up and she knew that it was becoming more scarlet the longer he held her. To her relief, he let go of her after a few minutes to gaze upon her girlish, blushing face. His eyes lit up in amusement as she appeared bewildered at his actions. Before she had the chance to respond, Tromell entered the room.

"Lord Seymour, shall I make preparations for our departure?"

"Tromell, don't be rude and greet Yuna before you address me."

The old Guado's eyes widened when he saw Yuna and he bowed apologetically, making her uncomfortable.

"Good morning, Yuna. I apologize for not acknowledging your presence before."

"It's alright, Tromell. And please stop bowing, you don't have to do that." Yuna said with a smile.

"Thank you for your forgiveness. By the way, when do you plan on leaving for Bevelle? I need to prepare for the voyage."

"We leave at sunset, Tromell." Seymour answered.

Satisfied with the answer, Tromell bowed to them once again and left the room. Yuna sighed in relief and walked over to a mirror to assess her appearance. She smoothed out her skirt and twirled once for good measure. Once she was content with it, she strolled to where Seymour waited at the door.

"We are going to break the news to your guardians. I'm sure they will find some way to blame me."

"Don't say that." Yuna replied with a frown on her sweet face.

"I'm well aware that they are not particularly fond of me."

As Yuna protested, he noticed that her guardians were already in the temple and appeared to be waiting for her. Lulu's eyes flashed with an indistinguishable emotion when she saw them approaching, but she had to act accordingly when in the temple. Flippant behavior was not tolerated. However, that wasn't going to stop her from being somewhat upset.

"Where have you been, Yuna? The priestess training has already begun without you. I trust that you have a good excuse."

"I've decided to go to Bevelle Academy." Yuna responded uncertainly. "I would like to study there."

"I refuse to agree to that." Lulu said firmly.

Yuna looked at Kimahri for help, but the Ronso simply stated,

"Kimahri think Yuna should listen to elders. Braska not going to be happy if Yuna go."

"That's a crazy idea, yah? Going to Bevelle is a big decision. You might not be happy after you do it."

"Even so, it will be my decision and I could find happiness in that alone. It will be a good learning experience for me and my father will be there to help."

"Your father?" Lulu asked incredulously as she walked towards Yuna in exasperation. "He opposes this as well. What do you plan on telling him when you get there? Do you think he will be happy with you?"

"He's my father, Lulu-san! He can't turn me away."

"He can and he will. The moment you arrive at his home, he will send you back here to become a priestess like he wanted. Don't be ridiculous. We're going back home to get you some clothes."

"Lulu-san, please! You have to understand! I have things that I want too!"

"Are you doubting Braska's judgement? I suppose you trust this man more than him as well." Lulu said while gesturing to Seymour. "If you don't come with me, then I'll drag you there."

"Don't you want me to be happy?! Or do you want me to suffer here?!"

A loud smack resonated and echoed throughout the temple as Lulu's anger got the better of her. She slapped Yuna without thinking and immediately regretted doing so. No one had ever struck her before. Silently, Yuna placed her hand on her stinging cheek delicately and her lower lip quivered. Everyone in the temple watched the scene with shocked faces, even Kimahri was stunned. Tears began to stream down Yuna's face and she bolted from the temple while crying out.

"That was uncalled for. I didn't expect you to strike her." Seymour said above the stunned whispers around them.

Lulu calmed herself lest she hit another person within these holy walls.

"I have no reason to speak to you, Lord Seymour. I'm going to find Yuna."

"Allow me to accompany you."

Ignoring him, Lulu went with the other guardians to the outskirts of Besaid as Seymour followed close behind. While they were walking, Wakka slowly inched himself to Lulu and said,

"You were being kinda harsh back there, Lu."

"I know." Lulu agreed with a sigh. "I can be intense sometimes."

"Yeah. I just hope Yuna's okay, you know?"

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><p>Yuna sat near one of the many crumbling ruins and trembled as she wept. She hadn't done anything wrong and Lulu hit her. She wiped her tears and stood up shakily. Her thoughts were interrupted by a foul odor. She covered her nose and stopped herself from puking. The air around her was suddenly filled with a yellow-brownish gas and she turned around to see a Malboro less than four feet away from her. In fear, she ran away from it, knowing that Malboros aren't especially fast. It spat a foul acid at her, forcing her to dodge and it grabbed her in mid-air with one of its tentacles. As she was being raised closer to its mouth, she began to pray feverishly. At that moment, her guardians and Seymour came.<p>

Without wasting time, they prepared to attack the fiend, but they got blinded by a bright light that emanated from Yuna. Her eyes were closed as she started to levitate in the air and a powerful magic rune appeared on the ground. The glowing writing sent a powerful wave of mana to Yuna and called an Aeon to her aid: Valefor. The aeon pierced the sky as it flew down at high speeds and landed in front of Yuna. It charged an impressive beam of energy and shot the Malboro, killing it instantly. Its job being done, it disappeared without checking on the one who had summoned it. Yuna almost fell to the ground, but Kimahri caught her in his strong arms.

"Yuna fainted. Yuna heartbeat is weak."

"That was Valefor! How did Yuna summon that thing?" Wakka asked Lulu.

"I don't know, but she did it unconsciously. Her eyes were closed."

As she checked Yuna's mana levels, Lulu continued,

"I'm starting to think that Braska had another reason for keeping her here. A reason that he felt was necessary to hide from us."

"So what should we do?" Wakka asked while scratching the back of his head nervously.

"We're going to confront Braska."

Seymour was silent as his eyes were steadily watching Yuna. He was intrigued by her from the start and his hunches were never wrong. This girl was something special. To call such a beast of yore to her aid was unfathomable. Maester Mika would be most interested in meeting her.

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><p><strong>R&amp;R! Update coming soon!<strong>

**Also, Tidus will be making his entrance soon! :-)**

**The next chapter will be longer so stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

Yuna was presently resting in the tent while Lulu watched over her. Since her mana levels had been fluctuating from dangerously low to extremely high, Lulu forbade anyone else from coming inside. She felt Yuna's forehead with the back of her hand to test her temperature. The young girl's skin was unnaturally cold and clammy. Despite all this, she slept rather soundly. Lulu bent her head down slightly and closed her eyes.

"I'm...sorry for hitting you. I don't have an excuse for acting like that, so I wouldn't be surprised if you never forgave me. A lot of people have done so."

The last part was a hoarse whisper. Lulu leant back in her chair and stared at the top of the tent in deep thought. Yuna had been able to call on an Aeon, which was a sacred art that belonged only to a select few mages and legend incarnates. But Yuna was neither of these things. The Aeons were untouched entities that everyone in Spira prayed to through the Fayth, but no one was able to summon their physical forms- until now.

"Lulu-san?" Yuna said weakly.

"I'm here, Yuna."

"What happened? Did you beat the Malboro?"

Lulu hesitated. It would be better to keep the information from her since she was in such a critical condition, but Yuna would feel even worse if she found out that she was being lied to. Lulu decided to withhold the details of the event, for now.

"Yes, we defeated it. It's alright now, just rest."

"That's good." Yuna said with a weakened smile. But her smile faded away as she continued,

"Lulu-san? I hope you don't feel guilty about slapping me. It was my fault. I...I think you had every right to be angry with me."

"You're right. I had every reason to be upset, however, I had no right to hit you. It was uncalled for and rash. I hope you can forgive me."

Yuna pushed herself off of the cot, so that she was sitting up and facing Lulu. She put her shaky arms around the older woman and pulled her close. Hugging her back, Lulu breathed,

"I'm glad you forgive me."

While giggling, Yuna pulled away and laid back down with an audible sigh. Her demeanor changed once again when she remembered that she still wasn't going to Bevelle Academy anytime soon.

"Don't look so down, Yuna. There has been a change in plans. We're going to Bevelle as soon as you recover and as soon as we save up enough Gil."

"Really? Thank you so much! Oh, and we don't have to save up. We could take Lord Seymour's private ship!"

Lulu didn't like it one bit, but that half-Guado managed to slither into their lives. She could only imagine what he was plotting after seeing Yuna summon Valefor. Men like him got drunk off of power easily and power like Yuna's was something that they craved.

"I wouldn't want to impose on him."

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it. He seems like a nice person. But, why did you suddenly change your mind about this?"

"I thought that it would be nice to visit Braska for once. But know this: we are only going to be there to see Braska. You will not be sneaking off to Bevelle Academy. Is that clear?"

"That's fine. I'm happy that I'll get a chance to see what life outside Besaid is like and I'll get to see my birthplace."

Just then, Kimahri and Wakka walked in upon hearing the two women talking. Wakka looked nervous and Kimahri flicked his tail back and forth with annoyance.

"Why are you two here? I told you not to come in." Lulu said as she got up.

"Lord Seymour wanted to talk with us. In private, yah?"

"About what, exactly?"

"Uh..it's about the Aeons." Wakka said as he glanced at Yuna.

"Who will look after Yuna?" Lulu asked, getting the underlying message.

"Not to worry!" An elderly voice called out. "Lord Seymour has sent me to watch over her in your stead."

Tromell entered the tent with a plethora of herbs, potions, and medicine inside an old, worn-out bag. It made a thud as he set it down on a table. He proceeded to take out various items until Lulu commented,

"What are those? I've never seen such medicinal products and I am well-versed in that field."

"Ah, these are medicines that I have brewed by hand and I take much pride in their effectiveness."

"Listen. I don't know what your intentions are, but if you do anything other than helping her..."

Lulu's right hand burst into flames and the other sparked with electricity. Both forms of heat cast dark shadows on her face, causing Tromell to shudder with fright.

"Oh dear...rest assured that I will do nothing of the sort. Lord Seymour has ordered me to maintain her health and I wouldn't dare go against his orders!" Tromell protested as he wiped his sweaty brow with an unsteady hand.

"Please... don't fight." Yuna said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "I..trust Tromell...so you can go. Don't worry about me...I'll be fine."

Seeing Yuna like that made Lulu want to stay by her side, but something told her that she needed to go to the temple to see what Seymour wanted.

"Fine. I'll go." Lulu consented.

Kimahri and Wakka led the way into the temple as they passed by priests that hurried past them as if they were running from something. Or someone. They entered the darkened hall that led to Seymour's room and watched as the flames of the candles swayed in the chilly, temple air. Everyone tensed as they entered his quarters. He was facing away from them, but they were able to see him twirling a certain silver necklace in his elongated fingers. Lulu gasped quietly when she noticed this.

"I'm glad that you are all here. We have some pressing matters to discuss, so I cleared the temple. We won't be bothered by any meddling priests."

"That belongs to Braska." Lulu said with venom with her gaze set on the pendant. She blatantly ignored his previous statement and continued, "I assume that you stole it, you conniving little brat."

"Don't be so hasty. We'll get to that in a moment. For now, let's talk about Yuna first."

Lulu clenched her jaw, but was silent and let him continue.

"Yuna's summoning was quite the phenomenon, was it not? It was nothing short of excellent, but it took a toll on her. You've seen her. Her weakened pulse, her cooling temperature, and her inconsistent mana levels all are symptoms of one tapping into another plane that is opaque to lower beings. I am thoroughly impressed by her; she should have died immediately after the summoning. But her control over the Aeon was solid and it didn't kill her. However, the side effects of such an ancient art will still kill her. She'll last no longer than a few days at best."

Seymour loved how they hung to his every word- he truly had them in the palm of his hand.

"How do you know this? With white magic and herbs, I'm sure that she will recover."

"Don't be foolish. Today's magical prowess cannot hope to stop the spiritual realm from ravaging her body and mind. I know this because I experienced it myself. The only reason that I'm alive is because of someone's ability to command the lost arts and their connection to the Fayth. These techniques have been passed down to me. I can save Yuna from an untimely death."

They were shocked that Seymour was also capable of summoning, but they pushed that issue away until later. Saving Yuna's life took precedence.

"This is great, yah? Let's go back and-"

"Of course, a few conditions must be met before I do anything."

Lulu saw this coming. There was no way he would help them of his own volition. He had his own agenda.

"First, when we go to Bevelle, I will be allowed to visit Yuna whenever I want. Secondly, you all will be silent about me having this necklace. I plan to give it to Yuna as a gift. Third, Yuna will be attending Bevelle Academy. And finally, we will not be returning to Besaid. I'll make sure of that."

"Uh...we're gonna go talk about this in the hall, yah?"

"Of course. Take your time, although time really isn't on your side. The more you wait, the more Yuna suffers."

Wakka nodded and grabbed Lulu's hand to pull her outside and Kimahri followed them silently. Once they were in the hall, Lulu pulled her hand away and her eyes flashed angrily at Wakka.

"What is there to discuss? We have no choice but to accept his terms. They were unreasonable, yes. But we shouldn't be selfish and decline. Do you want Yuna to die, Wakka?"

"Of course not. But we can make demands too, yah? If he wants to see Yuna, you know?"

"We are in no position to try and add conditions. If he doesn't get his way completely, then he'll let Yuna die. It's as simple as that. Swallow your misplaced pride for once, Wakka and help us make a smart decision."

"I guess you're right, Lu."

"Kimahri worried. Kimahri don't like Lord Seymour."

"Neither do I. But there's nothing we can do about it." Lulu sighed.

All the guardians were in agreement and went back inside the room.

"Well?" Seymour asked.

"We agree to your terms."

"Excellent. But first, please follow me into the main hall. I need to show you something."

Reluctantly, they followed him there and Lulu glared at his back, imagining herself ending his life with the most destructive spell that she knew. Even Kimahri tightened his grip on his spear.

When they arrived at their destination, Seymour strode to the middle of the large area and closed his eyes. Just like when Yuna summoned, a large rune appeared on the floor. But while Yuna's was bright and almost angelic, Seymour's rune was unnatural somehow. The writing looked distorted and it emanated a sinister glow of red. Then a large tear in the rune appeared and the most grotesque creature emerged from it. Lulu had no idea what it was, but it wasn't one of the Aeons that she knew of. Blood seeped from its eye and it was bound in heavy chains. It cried out in agony and the immense magical power coming from it almost scared Lulu. This thing had the power to wipe out everyone in Besaid.

"This is what you'll be dealing with if you try to go against me." Seymour said calmly above his Aeon's piercing cries.

This man was clearly superior to them in terms of strength. There was no way they could defeat him. He summoned an Aeon, just like Yuna, but he did so as if he casted a mere Fire spell.

Satisfied at their reaction, he dismissed the Aeon and said,

"Now, lead me to Yuna."

In silence, they took him out of the holy halls of the temple. They reached their tent quickly and were about to step in with Seymour, but he stopped them.

"I apologize, but the eyes of people such as yourselves are not permitted to see the ancient arts. Only those chosen by the Fayth, like Yuna can. It is their will."

"And what of Tromell?" Lulu asked as she folded her arms.

"He is no exception. He will leave as well."

Seymour entered the tent and soon after, Tromell left it. The old Guado looked awkwardly at the obviously peeved guardians and excused himself to go prepare for their departure.

* * *

><p>Yuna was sleeping when Seymour walked inside and he watched as her chest moved in time with her breathing. Her chocolate hair was splayed across her pillow as she slept. Wanting to heal her as fast as possible, Seymour said gently as he shook her delicately,<p>

"Yuna, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open, but she could no longer see very well. Everything was blurry. The figure sitting before her had blue hair, so it could only be either Seymour or her father. It would be wishful thinking to believe that her dad was here as he just left, so she guessed differently.

"Lord Seymour? Why...are you here...?"

"I'm going to heal you. Please be silent."

Yuna complied and said nothing else. Seymour began to softly sing The Hymn of the Fayth, which usually did nothing when normal people sang it, but as he was manipulating the lost art, Yuna felt her sickness slowly ebbing away. The symbol of Yu Yevon and Zanarkand appeared as glowing glyphs in the air and merged into one. After the song was complete, the symbols disappeared.

He watched Yuna get up from her cot, completely healed. She smiled at him sweetly and said,

"Thank you, Lord Seymour. I don't know how I got so deathly ill, but you saved me. I am indebted to you."

"It was nothing, you do not owe me anything Yuna."

"Oh...alright."

Seymour was glad that the illness had messed with her vision. It would have been catastrophic for her to see that the unholiness of Zanarkand and the holiness of Yu Yevon were connected. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bouquet of roses in the corner with several footprints on it. The petals were scattered as well. Pointing to it, he asked,

"What is that?"

"Nothing really. It's just some roses that an old friend sent me for my graduation. Lulu never liked him that much, so she got a bit upset and stomped all over it. He's off in Luca right now for the blitzball tournament."

Seymour felt a pang of jealousy out of nowhere. Even though she said it was from a friend, he was unnerved by it. He wouldn't say that he was in love with Yuna, he was merely interested in her abilities. He didn't believe in love. So the fact that this bothered him made alarms go off in his head, but he pressed the matter.

"An old school friend?"

"Yes. He wasn't doing that well in school, so Wakka let him join the Besaid Aurochs when he retired. I haven't seen him since."

"Were you two particularly close?"

"No, not really. Lulu saw to that. Why're you so interested?"

"I was just curious."

"Oh."

He left for a moment to bring her guardians inside and excused himself, claiming that he needed to make preparations for the journey and advised them to do the same. Lulu and the others took turns hugging Yuna and began packing their items. Seeing Yuna's light bag, Lulu said,

"You really need more than that, Yuna. We won't be coming back, it seems."

"Why?" Yuna asked as she set down her bag.

"We are going to live there."

* * *

><p><strong>Update coming soon! R&amp;R! <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

The ocean breeze tickled Yuna's flushed face as she waved to the other villagers who had come to see her off. Many of them shed a few tears since it was rare for a Besaid native to leave the familiarity that had cradled them from the time that they were born.

"Wish me luck everyone!" Yuna yelled above the ship's engine.

The islanders agreed to do so with great enthusiasm although they were unsure of what this new beginning would wrought. The grating and rumbling of the engine soon drowned out their voices and left Yuna unaware of a warning that called out to her: Do not lose yourself amidst the grandeur of Bevelle, choose your allies carefully, and remember to be wary of those who are deserving of the suspicion. These wise words were spoken by the old high priest of Besaid who sensed that something was amiss. His small eyes gazed to the horizon past the ship and felt as though a foreboding shadow was encroaching on their humble island, despite the warm gleam of the sunset. He couldn't discern whether it was some sort of dark creature or a person lacking in probity, only those with the ancient arts at their disposal could figure that out. It was probably why Seymour rushed to whisk Yuna away from here. He stroked his silver beard thoughtfully and closed his eyes.

_Well. _He thought. _I suppose only time will tell. I hope Lord Seymour can protect her._

The ship began to leave the docks and seemed to glide across the clear waters with grace. Yuna stayed at the railing to continue waving and she didn't stop until her home and the people on it appeared tiny due to the growing distance. Her hand fell to her side and her fingers brushed the dark purple fabric of her skirt lightly. The great importance of her decision was starting to dawn on her. She was leaving everything she knew to plunge into the unknown. Yuna suddenly wanted to dive into the water and swim back to the familiar shores. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. It was too late for doubts now.

"Yuna, is everything alright? Don't tell me that you're second guessing yourself."

Yuna smiled softly at Lulu's worried gaze and replied,

"I'm fine." She laughed a little before continuing, "I'm just getting the slight feeling that I'm going to be home sick."

"I wouldn't blame you. Bevelle can be quite suffocating sometimes. I suppose I'll miss Besaid too."

"You've been to Bevelle before?" Yuna asked, turning to look at Lulu curiously.

"Yes. But that's in the past and I haven't been there since."

"That was a long time ago, yah? Maybe you should tell Yuna more about it, you know?" Wakka joined in with a grin.

"Wakka." Lulu said with a peeved expression.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up. Maybe you should tell her yourself if you find it so interesting because frankly, I do not."

Yuna watched them argue as her eyes darted from Wakka's scared face to Lulu's stern face. She walked between them and said,

"Don't fight, okay? I can see Bevelle for myself and decide what I think about it. If Lulu-san doesn't want to tell me, than she doesn't have to."

Wakka sighed, but he agreed with Yuna all the same. As she continued to talk with them, she noticed that Kimahri wasn't around. Worried, she asked for his whereabouts.

"Kimahri's probably somewhere on the ship that gives him the solitude he enjoys. We shouldn't bother him if that's the case. He...might have a lot on his mind." Lulu answered.

"Oh. Um, well, where's Lord Seymour? I wanted to ask him something."

"How would I know where he is? But I can help you look for-"

"N-no, that's okay. I'll do it myself. Since I'll be a student at Bevelle Academy, I should be able to talk to him alone. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Alright." Lulu said with uncertainty.

Her red eyes followed Yuna's form into the innermost parts of the ship and folded her arms.

"Think we're holding on to her too much?" Wakka said quietly.

That was one question that Lulu didn't have the answer to. Yuna was like a sister to her and was close to her heart. Lulu wanted to keep her near. But at the same time, she could feel Yuna slipping out of her quivering fingertips with nothing but naive ambitions in her head. Lulu didn't know how Braska managed to willingly send Yuna away from him into an unknown place. It was harder than she originally thought.

Yuna entered the inside of the ship and surprised by its décor. The walls and the ceiling were laden with copper tree roots that had little petals snared in their sharp edges. The ground was moss-inspired as the green paint imitated the unpredictable growth with random splotches. Everything was so earthy. Yuna couldn't help but note that it smelt like a forest of sorts.

"Are you pleased by the decorations?"

At the sound of Seymour's voice, Yuna jumped in fear and whipped around to look at him. His eyes were dancing with amusement as he looked at her.

"You scared me."

"My apologies, Yuna. I have a bad habit of concealing my presence sometimes."

"Concealing your presence? Why would you have to do that?"

"I find it easier to be undetected. For various reasons."

Yuna nodded, but Seymour could tell that she was unconvinced. She was incredibly witty, despite her sheltered upbringing.

"I see. Well, I wanted to ask you about Bevelle Academy." Yuna said.

"Of course." Seymour responded with a smile. "Walk with me to the lounge?"

The lounge room was relatively small and only had a few sofas with several short bookshelves. Yuna sat on the soft, velvet sofa and watched Seymour pull something shiny out of his robe. She let out a gasp when she saw the beautiful, yet simple design of the necklace. Her heartbeat quickened when she felt its cool material and Seymour's fingers upon her skin as he fastened it around her neck.

"It suits you."

"Thank you." Yuna mumbled, flushing at the compliment. "But why are you giving this to me?"

Seymour didn't know how to respond. Initially, he planned to use it to gain her trust, but that was no longer necessary since she's going to Bevelle now. He wasn't going to keep the trinket for himself as he had no use for it. Suddenly, an image of the roses that Yuna received for her graduation flickered in his mind. Could it be that he wanted to out do the unknown boy?

"It's a rather belated gift for your graduation."

"Where did you find something so pretty? You didn't have to get me anything, though." Yuna said as she kept her gaze on her boots.

"Does it really matter where I got it?" Seymour asked as he sank into one of the couches. He seemed to be irritated by her question as he tapped his long nails on the armrest.

Yuna trailed her fingers over the necklace's pendant and chain, wondering why it had a feeling that was similar to when one prayed to The Fayth. She closed her eyes and subconsciously tapped into her newly unlocked summoning arts. But since she had no training in the arts, she was like a person trying to grab air and make it tangible. She opened her eyes, confused at what had happened.

"Bevelle Academy is not an ordinary institution. We offer all the courses that other universities do and more. We have special classes as well that are for honing what you just demonstrated." Seymour said suddenly, his eyes watching Yuna intently.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything.."

"You unlocked your summoning powers. For the most part, anyway. I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised."

It seemed that the necklace was more than a simple accessory if it reacted to the arts. Seymour had never thought to try it, he was only interested in getting her guardians to obey him.

"Summoning? What are you talking about?" Yuna asked.

"Summoning is an ability reserved for gifted individuals and those who have strong connections to the Fayth as well as the spiritual realm. You happen to be one of them. I too, am a summoner."

Yuna watched Seymour as he spoke, hanging onto his every word and listening intently.

"Summoners can call the beasts of yore, the Aeons, to this realm to serve us. We at Bevelle Academy believe that there is a larger purpose that summoners have. Regrettably, we have not found it yet."

The young Besaid native stood up suddenly and took a step back to bow to Seymour properly.

"I-I cannot accept this so readily...so if this is really true, you'll show m-me, won't you?"

Yuna kept her head down as she awaited his reply.

"Do you not trust my words? I have no reason to lie, but if it will satisfy you..."

A sudden morbid and unnatural atmosphere emerged within the room with the appearance of a bloody rune that was scratched into the ground. Yuna was afraid, but her curiosity got the better of her as she inched towards the middle of the morpheme with uncertainty. She peered into its depths only to get a glimpse of a creature that was fettered by rusty and bloody chains. It looked at her with such intensity in its pale blue eyes that Yuna felt weak in the knees. But she found herself unable to look away and her eyes widened with fear at this realization. Only Seymour's hold over the Aeon kept it from attacking her.

**Do not return to the island.**

Yuna covered her mouth with her hand and watched silently as the Aeon disappeared along with its rune. What a terrible power. She still felt overwhelmed by the immense presence that the Aeon brought with it. She hugged herself and sank into one of the couches.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Y-yes."

"Her name is Anima. I assume that you've never heard of her."

"Yes, I have no knowledge of her. But, Lord Seymour, she spoke to me. She told me not to return to Besaid."

Seymour was surprised. Yuna had already obtained the Fayth of Valefor from praying at Besaid's temple, so it shouldn't be possible for her to connect with another Aeon. Each summoner has their own Aeon and are unable to speak with any other Aeon. But if she was able to do so, he would have no problem with dragging her across Spira to get every Aeon, everyone else be damned. A smirk graced his chiseled face.

"Anima can be rather clairvoyant. Let us not tempt destruction by going to Besaid. That place may be lost to us soon."

* * *

><p>Nightfall at Besaid wasn't very eventful. Villagers got ready for bed and talked quietly amongst themselves as the great bonfire in the center of their settlement crackled and burned with warmth. Mothers gathered their children hurriedly and sent them inside the tents to sleep, much to their disappointment. But their peaceful existence was about to be interrupted by a terrible menace.<p>

Washed up on the shore was a man. He was clad in black robes with ripped edges that burned incessantly, despite having been in water. He snapped his head up and he looked at his hand as he raised it above his head. He opened it and closed it repeatedly as a maniacal grin spread on his face. So he really was back in the world of the living. An image of a brunette haired girl besting him in battle flashed through his mind. He saw her running across this very beach that he stood upon.

This little girl would stop him? How laughable. He put on his hood and began to walk towards the village. He would find her here and kill her.

* * *

><p>The elderly priest woke up with a jolt and hurried to the center of the village. He felt that something was off and urged the villagers to hide in their tents. The head priest alone stood at the entrance, waiting for whatever was coming. Fearful people pushed aside the flaps of their tents slightly to watch in horror as the eternal seconds went by. They had wanted to stand with him, but for their safety, he refused them vehemently. Footsteps could soon be heard and an unknown figure came into view. The ends of his robe scorched the path behind him, leaving them no way of escape. The large flames behind him eclipsed his silhouette and made him look even more menacing. He stopped in front of the head priest.<p>

"Where is the brown-haired girl? The one you call Yuna."

"I do not know."

The man seized the priest's neck and held him above the ground. He squeezed the man's neck even harder when he saw his pained expression and the tears escaping his eyes.

"I have no use for liars."

He threw the old man into the ground and a small crater resulted from the body colliding with the ground. Blood began to trickle out of the corner of his mouth. He stepped onto his chest, feeling satisfied when the sound of brittle bones breaking resounded in the silent night.

"Will you answer me now?"

The priest knew he was going to die, but he would gladly give up his life to stop this man. Even if it would be short-lived. His vision was getting blurry and his voice was hoarse as he said defiantly,

"Never."

Livid, the mysterious man began to stomp on the priest's body with relentless strength. His red eyes shined with something akin to bloodlust as he abused the priest's body. All the villagers watched fearfully as they saw him pick up the body and hold it before the flames.

"Stop!" A little voice cried out. "Stop hurting him!"

He turned his head around slowly to look at a small little girl who had left her tent and clutched her makeshift doll tightly. He dropped the priest's dead body in the fire and began walking to the girl. She shuddered uncontrollably as she yelled,

"Yunie's not here! So go away! She went-"

The girl's mother rushed outside as well and hugged her child fiercely, while covering her mouth to prevent her from saying anything else. She held her daughter protectively and glared at him. Everyone in the village had sworn to protect Yuna at all costs, it wasn't just her guardians who promised Braska.

"We will tell you nothing!"

Inspired by their display of courage, other people began to leave their homes and stood alongside the mother and daughter. Their stances showed bravery, but their expressions evinced fear.

"I'm getting _fucking _annoyed right now."

He dashed to them with incredible speed and snatched the girl from her mother and crushed her throat. A smile of satisfaction appeared on his face as he felt his fingers breaking through her skin, veins, and bones. A myriad of blood sputtered from her neck and he dropped her in front of the villagers.

"No more chances. Death awaits those who defy me!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the late update. I had some pre-college things to do and I had to prepare for midterms. Anyway, read and review! Stay tuned for the next update!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

The young girl's lifeless body lied motionless in front of the villagers who had compromised their own safety to protect Yuna. Their devotion to Braska was a testament to his influence on others and his uncanny ability to win people over.

The girl's blood soaked the soft earth and added to the horrifying stench of death that was already in the chilled air. The salty tears of the people were shed from despair and fear for their lives, even though they had already resigned themselves to death.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!" The mother of the girl cried out as she held her head in anguish.

The woman was silenced by a pulse of powerful black magic that disintegrated her body and left only black particles behind. The wind carried the little flecks away. The unidentified man lifted his hood to reveal his face, which was surprisingly youthful. His red eyes contrasted with his snow white hair and pale skin. He looked unlike any other human on Spira. That is, if he was actually human. He sported a crazed grin and laughed as he said,

"All I want is to destroy everything! To make all of you suffer! I'll-"

A brave, but foolish man interrupted him by hitting him with a branch.

"Y-you...you killed my wife and daughter!"

His eyes were brimming with tears as he held the branch in front of him for protection. He trembled in fear, but he stood his ground.

The unknown man turned his lunatic-like gaze upon this impudent person and grabbed him by his head despite his pleas.

"Is that so? Then live. Live with the guilt of not being able to do a damn thing to protect them. Live with the loneliness and pain every time you feel their absence. Live with the frustration of not being able to get revenge. And then die with it!"

He then dropped the grieving man onto the ground and he sat there, utterly shocked that his life had been spared, but at the same time it had not been. He stared blankly at the full moon in the sky. His shoulder was touched by the hand of the insane man who had chanced upon Besaid and he felt a burning pain steadily rising within his blood. The agony was too great for him to scream, he simply hung his mouth open dumbly as his lower lip twitched. The stranger knelt down beside him and said in a low voice,

"I am Sin. Remember my name and tell your leaders that I have arrived. Make yourself useful once more and try to find Yuna. Don't let anything get in your way. She can't get away if we both look for her. Let's make this fun, shall we? Your new name will be Tsumi and if I happen to find Yuna first, I'll make you sorry. Now go!"

Unable to refuse Sin's demands due to his toxin, Tsumi scrambled to his feet and ran through the dense forest on the side of Besaid Village that wasn't burning. He silently apologized to Yuna and Braska in his mind. He felt guilty, but he was going to turn her over to this Sin person. He didn't want to invoke his wrath. He already saw what he was capable of. He ran as quickly as he could go to the beach where his fishing boat was docked. He was about to get inside, but a sudden distortion blurred everything in sight. He felt as though his body was being ripped apart and he screamed. Then, he found himself in front of Bevelle, the capital of Spira.

* * *

><p>Dinner on the ship was a quiet affair and all that could be heard was the chewing of food and the clinking of silverware. Tromell proved himself to be quite the jack of all trades as he prepared a praiseworthy meal for them. Behemoth steak with some hazelnut rolls along with a cheesecake for dessert. Everyone had a healthy appetite, except for Yuna. She had hardly touched her plate. Anima's message continued to play in her head. Seymour had advised her to heed the warning and steer clear of her homeland, but she couldn't help but worry about what could have happened.<p>

"Excuse me." Yuna said quietly, getting up from the table and leaving the dining room.

"Oh dear," Tromell said while dabbing his forehead with a hankerchief. "I wonder what is ailing her?"

Setting down his fork and closing his eyes, Seymour answered nonchalantly,

"I told her about her summoning. She asked me to prove it, so naturally, I summoned my Aeon. Apparently, she warned Yuna to not return to Besaid."

Lulu's eyes flashed with anger and she stood up as she said,

"Why would you tell her that? She's far too fragile for that kind of information-"

"She was bound to find out sooner or later, yah? No point in worrying about it now. I'm more worried about Besaid, you know? Why can't we go back there?"

Lulu sat down in a huff, calmed by Wakka's reasoning.

"Anima, my Aeon, is somewhat clairvoyant, but she does not hold the answers to everything. All she sees is a burning Besaid with a man at the center of it all. His goal is unclear."

"And why didn't your Aeon tell Yuna this?" Lulu asked.

"She did. Yuna simply did not have it in her heart to verbalize the destruction of her home."

Kimahri sat calmly, but his pent up aggression showed in the way he waved his tail around erratically. Wakka sat with his head hung low and sighed. Lulu clenched her fists angrily and swore quietly under her breath. Tromell looked to his master nervously. He knew that Seymour couldn't stand weakness of any kind, although Yuna was the sole exception.

"This is no time to pity yourselves and cry. Be thankful that we were not in Besaid when this bloody massacre occurred. First, I must contact Maester Mika and tell him what's going on."

He pulled a CommSphere out of his robes and set it to connect with Maester Mika. The Besaid natives were surprised to see that he actually knew the leader of Spira on a personal level, even though he was just a professor at a college. What sort of connections did he have?

"Oh! Seymour! It is not often that you call me...what can I help you with?"

Seymour began explaining everything that had happened up until that point, even his ploy to get Yuna's guardians to listen to him. Maester Mika remained silent until Seymour was finished.

"Hm. That sounds like a pickle." Maester Mika said wearily. "Well, it's funny that you should mention this to me, since a rather crazy man came to the gates of Yevon screaming that a man called Sin has arrived. He was quite strong, it took several tranquilizers to subdue him. He also kept mentioning 'Yuna'. I believe she's the girl who you are taking to Bevelle, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then this is no coincidence. This Sin has destroyed Besaid already, I do not want to find out what else he can do. I'm currently employing Bevelle's military to hunt him down. As for you, I want you to gather all the summoners at Bevelle Academy and train them. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good. Well then, try not to die!" Maester Mika said with a friendly cackle before he hung up.

"Well then. There's not much you lot can do to help me, so feel free to continue to enjoy your dinner. I'm going to go bring Yuna up to speed on what's happening." Seymour said. "Tromell, speed up this ship. I do not like the idea of being vulnerable on the sea with this lunatic on the loose."

"Yes, Master Seymour." Tromell obeyed with a humble bow as he left the room to complete his task.

"Wait a minute." Lulu said. "How do you know Maester Mika?"

"Bevelle Academy has its secrets." Seymour replied with a cryptic smile.

Lulu stared after him in confusion as he left the room in search of Yuna. He walked across the wet and slippery deck to see her holding onto the railing of the ship as she stared at the ocean. She closed her eyes and sighed as the breeze blew against her face gently. Seymour came beside her with his hands behind his back and waited patiently for her to acknowledge his presence. The reflection of the moon caused an almost ethereal ambiance on the ship.

"Lord Seymour, I have to find this man that Anima showed me. I'm f-frightened, but I have to ask him why he would do such a terrible thing!" Yuna said while wiping away tears.

"You cannot. Your powers are too weak. Besides, it would be foolish to seek him out. Apparently, one of his underlings came to Bevelle in search of you and he wasn't looking to have tea." Seymour intoned softly. "The man who destroyed Besaid is known as 'Sin'. He has enough strength to massacre an entire island- he would dispose of you quickly. It wouldn't even be a fight."

From the corner of her eyes, Yuna watched as Seymour caught a buzzing fly within his palm with extremely fast reflexes and continued to catch and release it.

"You'd be like a bug to him. I doubt he would listen to reason, considering his actions."

An rather awkward silence ensued until Yuna said quietly,

"Then train me to be strong enough."

Seymour smirked in surprise. Yuna was definitely a shy and timid girl, but she had a lot of spunk hidden underneath. He was going to enjoy this.

"I was planning to do so anyway. I have to prepare every summoner for the upcoming conflict. The question is whether or not you are truly ready for such an endeavor. I am not an easy professor." Seymour retorted with amusement.

"I'm ready."

"Then we start in the morning. I will be waiting for you in the inner rooms past the lounge. Everything will be set up, so come prepared. We're going to begin with physical training." Seymour said as he walked back inside. "So get some rest."

"Yes!"

* * *

><p>An alarming broadcast swept Spira during that night on several Sphere Monitors, warning its citizens about a man named Sin who had destroyed Besaid. In Luca's blitzball locker rooms and in Bevelle's Academy, two men got this message. Tidus, who hadn't seen Yuna since he dropped out of high school, and Braska, Yuna's father.<p>

Both worried for her life, they were unable to continue their daily activities without uncertainties. However, Yuna was alive and well, training for the battle to come.

* * *

><p>Yuna awoke with a yawn and stretched as she got out of her bed. Since she was going to be doing physical training, she took off her constricting kimono and opted for shorts and a simple tank top. She finished her basic toiletries and grabbed a water bottle, ready to head out, but she found her guardians waiting for her outside of the door.<p>

"Ah..." Yuna said while keeping her eyes on the floor. "I can explain."

Lulu's stern face softened as she replied,

"There's no need. Lord Seymour told us everything. But we wanted to show you support, since he refused to let us help him train you."

"He said somethin' about no interruptions, yah?" Wakka concurred.

"Yuna be safe. Call Kimahri if Yuna want to stop training."

"I'll be fine." Yuna said with a smile.

Yuna and her guardians walked to the room where Seymour awaited her. At the door, Lulu placed a hand on Yuna's shoulder and whispered,

"But remember this Yuna, you are a summoner. There are those that would use that."

"So you're telling me not to trust Lord Seymour? Lulu-san, I'm hurt. Not for myself, but for Lord Seymour. He's doing so much for us and Spira, yet you tell me that he's a bad person? What has he done to you? Or is it something that the Guado did?" Yuna said back, loud enough for Seymour to hear.

"Yuna.." Lulu began, unable to think of a response. "Never mind."

She walked away, slightly annoyed and muttered under her breath. The fact that Yuna hadn't immediately gone to her side showed that she was growing up and was developing her own moral compass. Despite that, it pained Lulu to no longer have the cute little Yuna that would follow her everywhere. Yuna's sharpness to catch the fact that Lulu had an unnatural dislike for Seymour also alarmed her. She'd have to learn to mince her words when around Yuna.

"Hey, Lu! Slow down, yah?" Wakka called out, then he looked at Yuna and said, "I'll check on Lu, don't worry about it, yah? But you were kinda blunt. A taste of her own medicine, you know?"

Yuna watched silently as Kimahri and Wakka left, then she opened the door to see Seymour meditating on a tatami mat. He had gotten rid of his robes for a pair of loose, yet tight Guado tree climbing pants and a shirt that hung off of his shoulders. His hair was actually tied back for once. His arms were crossed and his breaths were deep as well as even. She tip-toed over the mat to sit across from him and tried to copy what he was doing. He opened one eye somewhat and chuckled at her childish attempt at mimicking him.

"Give it up, Yuna. This is too advanced for you. Right now, you are simply breathing hard and sitting. Not even close to spiritual meditation." Seymour said. "Stand."

Embarrassed, she stood up and held her hands together in anticipation.

"It is so strange how you can be timid one moment, then be filled with moxie the next." Seymour continued. "You did not have to defend me. I am used to others disliking me, whatever their reason."

"You're right. I did not have to. But I wanted to." Yuna responded, her voice finding its confidence again. "I refuse to let one of my friends be wrongly accused and belittled. You deserve more than that. When you accept others' preconceived notions about you, you allow it to be true and it eventually does. Prove Lulu-san wrong, Lord Seymour. Train me."

She hadn't even known him for a week, but Yuna had more faith in Seymour than he did in himself. As she spoke to him, he found himself wanting to believe her words, but she didn't know his whole story. Nonetheless, he couldn't stop the newfound feeling of butterflies from arising in his stomach. Clearing his throat, he said,

"Well then, let us begin. First, I want to see what you are capable of in hand-to-hand. Practice on that dummy and use whatever you know." He handed her some gauze and athletic tape to wrap her hands in.

Yuna was extremely nervous. The only fighting training she ever got was from Kimahri when she was younger- and that was only basic Ronso techniques to defend herself. After wrapping her hands, she put her hair up in a ponytail and started attacking it. She punched and kicked in a way that was so unlike a Yevonite, which was tell-tale sign of her rocky upbringing. Her attacks had a Ronso-flavor to them, thanks to Kimahri, but she lacked precision and any idea of where to attack. She was fighting blindly, hoping that a punch or kick would land and leaving herself wide open for an enemy's retaliation. Unlike a Ronso, she couldn't afford to be careless in her defense.

As she continued, she felt Seymour's hand grab her wrist from behind and guide it to her chin. As he spoke, she could feel his chest vibrating against her back. He was a little too close for comfort for the sheltered girl and she began to blush.

"Make sure that you keep defense in mind. You don't want a foe to get one in your face because you were overconfident."

"Y-yes, Lord S-Seymour."

"Good, continue."

This time, Yuna made sure to pull her punches and kicks as soon as they landed to defend. She was a fast learner, but she still needed to work on the sheer power of her physical attacks. Because of her petite form, that would be difficult. She was struggling to put a dent into the weakest dummy that they had.

"Yuna, are you hitting as hard as you can?"

"N-no, I was afraid I would hurt myself on this thing."

Putting his palm in front of her, Seymour ordered,

"Hit my hand as hard as you can."

"But-"

"Do it. Trust me, you will not harm me."

Nodding, Yuna clenched her fist and punched his palm with all her strength. In that moment, Seymour was reminded of the time she had knocked out two grown men and smirked at her latent ability.

"Again."

The training continued like this up till night. Of course, they had water and food with them during their training. But Yuna was exhausted and sweaty. Seymour sat with her on the tatami as he meditated, but he opened his eyes to find that she had fallen asleep on his arm. He sighed in irritation, but he secretly enjoyed that feeling of peace and comfort that emanated from her. He watched her with suspicious eyes as she wrapped her arms around his arm in her sleep. To go to sleep in his presence, she must really trust him. He was unsure of his current feelings for Yuna, but he found himself touched by her genuine care for him.

Unbeknown to Seymour, Lulu was watching them through the window of the door. To her, it looked like they were two lovers cuddling. That disturbed her as she thought they were training. Her eyes narrowed in disgust as she stalked off to her room to sleep. She decided that she would confront them tomorrow.

After a few minutes, Yuna woke up and found herself sleeping on Seymour and quickly apologized as she moved away from him. She covered her beet-red face and groaned.

"There's no need to apologize. You were sleeping, so there's no way you could've known what you were doing." Seymour said calmly. "Although, there must be a reason for your embarrassment. Do you find me handsome?"

"L-Lord Seymour!" Yuna gasped.

"I am a very perceptive man, Yuna, and I have often caught you staring at me ever since we met. Surely there is a reason behind that...?" Seymour continued, unaware of the social boundaries he was crossing.

"How...how forward of you Lord Seymour!" Yuna exclaimed as she was taken aback at his bluntness.

"I apologize. I have a horrible habit of saying everything that is on my mind. I see that it disturbs you." Seymour quipped, suddenly withdrawing from his open personality into a more nonchalant one. It was a defense mechanism of sorts. "Well, I shall be going to my quarters to get some rest. I suggest you do the same as we'll be continuing our training, but we will start black magic and summoning as well. Good night."

Without waiting for a response, he swiftly left the room, leaving Yuna there to gather her things and head to bed.

* * *

><p>Seymour was presently reading a book on advanced black magic in his bed, but he could not concentrate and flung the book across the room. It barely missed Tromell and the old Guado jumped in surprise. He could always tell when something was wrong with Seymour. He usually became violent and started seeking out fiends just to take his frustration out on them. But, alas, there were no fiends on the ship, so Tromell was subject to random objects flying through the air and Seymour's deep sighs of irritation.<p>

"Master Seymour...?" Tromell asked cautiously. "What ever is the matter?"

"Do you think that...never mind, it's a stupid question. I won't ask."

"It is quite alright, Master Seymour." Tromell said with a warm smile. "I am here for you to confide in."

"Would a woman ever love a creature like me? So hideous and grotesque." Seymour said, the self-hatred evident in his voice. He had never given love much thought, but his experience with Yuna caused his stomach to flutter and his heartbeat to steadily increase. He was no fool. These were signs of infatuation.

"Master Seymour, if I may be so bold..."

"Continue."

"Who is the lucky lady to hold your affections?"

"It was a rhetorical question, Tromell. And I would consider that woman to be burdened with a monster's love, not 'lucky'." Seymour said with a sigh. "Now please answer it."

"...You may not realize this, but you are very handsome. At least, that's the impression I get when I see Yuna becoming so flustered and shy around you. And she seems to genuinely like you as she's put so much trust into you."

"I wasn't talking about Yuna." Seymour said defiantly. "Why are you bringing her up?"

"I was merely drawing a reference."

"Whatever." Seymour muttered as he clicked off the light. "I'm going to sleep, Tromell."

"Good night."

* * *

><p><strong>Stay tuned for next update! <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

Tidus was more depressed than the Aurochs had ever seen him. His bright blue eyes lost their shine and he wasn't very talkative at all. When he sent roses to Besaid for Yuna's graduation, his teammates had teased him endlessly about her. They always joked about Tidus' feelings for her, but there was nothing to joke about now. She had never been his lover, but he loved her like she was- despite the fact that she saw him as a close friend. Try as they might, the Aurochs were unsuccessful in cheering him up. He was staring at a picture of Yuna that she had gave him when he left Besaid for blitzball season. Her light-brown tresses were in a messy ponytail and she was smiling brightly, with her hands in front of her. To think that he would never see her smiling again in real life was unbearable.

"She might be alive you know. Maybe she got away." Keepa said with his hand on Tidus' shoulder.

"Yah." Botta agreed. "Don't treat her like she's already dead, yah? You heard the news on the sphere monitor? Sin and his lacky are still after her."

"Yeah, but Besaid was burning like hell. With all that fire around, where would she go? And Wakka and the others? They're probably all dead too." Tidus replied. "I've got to get revenge!"

The young blitzball player grabbed his Brotherhood sword and ran out the door, only to have a certain samurai snatch his collar.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?"

"Lemme go, Auron! I'm gonna murder that guy!"

"Calm down. You'll get your chance soon enough."

"Huh?" Tidus asked, scratching his head.

"You missed the latest report?" Auron said, annoyed by Tidus' denseness.

"Uh..."

"Never mind. Maester Mika is staging an operation at Mushroom Rock Road, namely Operation Mi'hen. They're going to use Sin's lacky and Yuna as bait. So we're going too."

"Yuna?! She's alive?" Tidus exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

"...I'm not answering any dumb questions." Auron deadpanned.

At this, Tidus ran after Auron's retreating figure while yelling at him as the shocked Aurochs stayed behind to continue the blitzball games.

* * *

><p>The time had come. Operation Mi'hen was right around the corner. Yuna and Seymour sat on opposite sides of their training room meditating to prepare themselves for the summoning to come. They were both clad in summoner's wear- Seymour in his everyday clothes, whereas Yuna opted for a dark-blue qipao with her white over-wrap and her trademark boots. But both of their spirits were uneasy.<p>

Operation Mi'hen was such a sudden change in plans. Hadn't Maester Mika intended for Seymour to train the summoners before fighting Sin? Perhaps he now wished to get it over with and finish Sin quickly. But no one had expected him to use Yuna as bait. They couldn't help but wonder if there was an entity behind the scenes in Bevelle, whispering orders in the ear of Maester Mika.

Yuna was also plagued by the fact that she would be fighting alone during the operation for the first few moments. As they meditated, Seymour noticed an uncharacteristic spike in her aura. She was an incredibly fast learner, considering that she only had two days to train- she learned a year's worth of knowledge in that span of time. He was finding himself so drawn to her, or rather, the idea of her. She was the pinnacle of perfection in every way, so unlike himself. But at this moment, he felt nervousness and fear arising in her aura.

But he didn't dare speak to her. He had already made things awkward between them. He cursed his ineptness at social interactions. Silence stilled the air until Lulu opened the door and stepped into the room.

"We've arrived at Mushroom Rock Road. The others that volunteered were brought here by airship." Her eyes cut to Yuna who had grabbed her summoner's rod that had been given to her by Seymour. The end of it was shaped like a yellow hibiscus flower. "Come, we cannot be late."

Like a silent funeral ceremony, the party upon the ship got off and were greeted by a soldier of Bevelle. He, too, wore a grave expression.

"Yuna, I presume?" He asked, gesturing to Yuna.

"Yes, that's me."

"Alright, please step on this teleportation device we received from the Ronso. It'll take you to your station."

"But-"

"Everyone else is traveling the slow way. The plan is to have you appear alone, remember?"

"I- y-yes, of course."

She drew all her guardians into a group hug as tears flowed down her girlish face. To be honest, she was frightened. She wanted to run away, but she couldn't leave everyone else for dead. Although she wished that she could stay in their embrace forever, she couldn't. Reluctantly, she pulled away and wiped her tears. She gave them a small smile and sighed.

"Don't look so down, yah? We're gonna kick Sin's ugly a-"

"Wakka!" Lulu scolded, while hitting him over the head. "Language!"

Kimahri shook his head in disbelief, while Yuna giggled.

Seymour felt a pang of jealousy and watched the scene with longing eyes. He gazed at Yuna as she turned to walk into the teleportation device and was surprised when she glanced his way. While performing the bow of Yevon, Yuna said,

"I'll be back, Lord Seymour."

"Naturally." He replied coolly as she disappeared.

Always so formal with him. It was likely that she saw him as a teacher. Nothing more, nothing less. On the other hand, he was beginning to feel for her immensely. It was an annoyance that he had to conceal his feelings like a mere boy. But in all honesty, he never had any experience in the field of romance. Deciding to put these thoughts to the back of his head, he followed the party to the site of Operation Mi'hen where they would wait to ambush Sin.

* * *

><p>Upon the barren land of Mushroom Rock Road, a lone guard introduced Yuna to Tsumi, who would also lure Sin. Tsumi stated that Yuna already knew him, but she drew a blank.<p>

"Should I know you? From where, exactly?" Yuna asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Sin hadn't mentioned that when he gave Tsumi his new name, he was essentially wiping him from existence in the memories of those that knew him. Tsumi merely thought that Yuna had forgotten him because he wasn't memorable to her at all. After all his family sacrificed, she couldn't be bothered to remember him? His blood boiled with rage and he imagined himself strangling her if it wasn't for his blasted chains.

"Forget it." Tsumi spat. "Since Sin senses that I've found you, he'll be here soon. I hope you're ready, wench!"

"Just ignore him, Yuna." The guard said as he jogged away, leaving her alone.

Tsumi watched with hatred as Yuna strolled to the center of the area, watching the misty sea for any sign of Sin. Her hands began to sweat and she clumsily dropped her staff, making it land with a thud. After wiping her hands in her dress, she picked it up and looked out into the horizon with fearful eyes.

After a few moments, a black silhouette appeared in the white mist near the horizon. She gulped in anticipation. That had to be Sin. The figure came closer and closer, until it was close enough for Yuna to observe its features. He was a young man, probably not that much older than herself. He descended gracefully even as his never ending flames burned on. He seemed annoyed by this and snapped his fingers, making them disappear. His smile widened when he noticed her.

"Ah! You must be Yuna, right?"

"...Yes, that's me! And I'm here to stop you!" Yuna answered, feigning bravery, even though she was visibly shaking.

Even without probing his aura, she could tell that he far outclassed her in battle. But when she did, she was overwhelmed by what she felt. It was utterly horrifying. His aura reeked of every vile thing in this world: hatred, greed, and the like. Evil in its purest essence. There was nothing redeemable there. She fought her instinct to drop to her knees and cry, and instead stood her ground.

Sin laughed before saying,

"Are you challenging me?! This is a riot! But, this'll make it more fun when I kill you!"

Yuna knew that the others couldn't see what was happening. They would only act when they saw the signal, which was a Fire spell. The problem was casting it before he could attack again.

He lunged for her with unmatchable speed, but she managed to barely dodge his attack. She gingerly lifted a hand to her cheek where he had sliced her and felt blood there. Scared beyond belief, all she could do was stare after him. He turned to look at her too, obviously surprised that she had evaded him. He was faster than her- that much was obvious. She was only able to avoid him by using a Haste spell combined with all of her leg strength and the still wasn't enough to go unscathed. That movement alone had wasted most of her physical energy, despite her stamina training.

"Good! Yes, that's good! Maybe you'll be worth my time, after all!"

Suddenly, Yuna pivoted and took off running in the other direction, her feet kicking up a cloud of dust. The gap between both of their powers was too great. Her resolve was shaken. They had made a big mistake by prematurely challenging Sin. Her heart thumped against her chest as she shook uncontrollably. She tripped and fell behind a large boulder while Sin followed close behind. She couldn't control her erratic breathing and her heart stopped when she looked up to see Sin towering over her.

Her unsteady hand reached for her summoner's rod, but he stomped on it, preventing her from picking it up.

"Hey, it was just getting fun! Don't disappoint me!"

He grabbed her small wrist and lifted her up, forcing her to look him in the eye. He started to swing her back and forth slowly, like a predator playing with its prey. He pushed her against the hard boulder, annoyed at her lack of resistance. Blood flew out of her mouth and her back was throbbing in pain.

"...What a piece of trash! You're not worth killing! To think I was worried that you would kill me! The Fayth are a bunch of comedians!"

He threw her aside and she skid across the dirt, coughing up blood. Noticing that his attention was no longer on her, she quickly cast a Fire spell into the cloudy sky, even as she lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>"There's the signal!" A captain yelled. "Let's go!"<p>

The Crusaders, along with several volunteers, came crashing down the jagged hill with weapons drawn. Battle cries filled the air as they charged for Sin. All at once, he was barraged with a flurry of weapons and magic- each one hitting its target.

"Did we get him?" Lulu breathed.

Everyone was deathly silent as they waited for the cloud of dust to clear. Auron looked on with a steely expression as he clutched the hilt of his sword. Lulu stood anxiously, her magic still ready to be fired, just in case. Tidus was already convinced that Sin got messed up and tried to high-five Wakka, who pushed him away and told him to wait for the dust to clear. Seymour appeared as calm as ever even as his eyes darted around the field, looking for Yuna. Kimahri remained in his battle stance as he always did until he confirmed his enemy's death.

Once it all cleared up, they were able to make out his figure nonchalantly picking weapons out of his body with an unamused look in his eyes.

"Is that the best you people can do?"

He raised his hand, a black energy emanating from it. Lulu sensed an enormous amount of black magic coming from him, even greater than what she had sensed in Anima, Seymour's Aeon.

"Everyone get out of the way! If you get hit by that, you're done!" Lulu yelled as she found shelter behind a thick wall of rock.

Those who managed to get out of harm's way, looked on in horror as their friends and family were reduced to nothing by that ominous pulse of magic rippling through their bodies. Screams of terror filled the air and Lulu found herself unable to watch.

Those egged on by their rage and thoughts of revenge, left their hiding places to foolishly charge for Sin. He made quick work of them and laughed crazily, on a high of destruction and death. No one else dared to attack him again. It would be a suicide mission.

"Anima..." Seymour murmured.

The distorted rune appeared near Sin and Anima emerged from it, wailing as always. Using Pain, Anima dealt immense damage to Sin, causing him to recoil and lose his footing. Anima relentlessly attacked him by Seymour's orders and he was unable to retaliate. Sin yelled out angrily,

"The hell is this?!"

Seeing that he was fighting a losing battle, he activated his teleporting, moving Tsumi and himself someplace else. The distortion in the air from the technique subsided after a while and Seymour dismissed Anima.

Everyone began to look for Yuna as she should've been around here somewhere. Seymour stumbled upon a small trench in the earth where he found Yuna laying there, looking lifeless. His heart pounding with dread, he hastily pushed aside all the rocks and picked her up. He held her close and checked her pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief. She was only unconscious. Holding her bridal style, he walked back to where everyone else was, announcing that he found her.

"Yuna!" The uninjured people called out.

Seymour continued walking through the crowd, with one destination in mind: Bevelle. Maester Mika had sent them all on a suicide mission. Surely he knew that without careful preparation they would die. He was going to confront him about this. Where was the other summoners that he promised would be there? Seymour's students would never deliberately disobey an order from Maester Mika, so something must have happened to them. He gritted his teeth in anger. Seeing Yuna like this nearly made him lose his temper.

"Hey! Where're you taking Yuna! She's coming with us!"

Seymour looked down to see a young man around Yuna's age standing in his way.

"What do you mean, _us_? Don't associate me with you, Tidus." Lulu scoffed.

Ah. So he was that boy that sent Yuna flowers. Seymour smirked. Well, it was obvious that Yuna appreciated his gifts better. She was still wearing the necklace he gave her- she hadn't taken it off since.

"In any case, none of you will be of help. The only thing that affects Sin are Aeons. None of you are summoners, so I'll be on my way."

"Still, Wakka, Kimahri, and myself are her guardians. We promised Braska to keep her safe." Lulu argued. "I'm not going to let you cart her around as you please."

"Sin would kill you in an instant. How good at guarding will you be if you're dead?" a voice said.

"Auron?" Lulu voiced.

"Calm down and let them go. We'll only get in their way." Auron continued, standing beside her.

"...I suppose you're right."

"I am right."

"Huh? Auron? How do you know Lulu? Is...there something I should know?" Tidus asked, his attention leaving Yuna and focusing on these two. He looked from Auron to Lulu, thoroughly confused.

"But, Auron I don't plan on fighting Sin. I simply refuse to leave Yuna's side. Go ahead and kill me if you're that desperate to keep me away from her." Lulu said, ignoring Tidus.

"You're stubborn."

"I don't want to hear that from an old man whose stuck in his ways." Lulu retorted.

"Hmph."

"They're right, you know? We can't just go away, yah?"

"Kimahri refuse to leave Yuna!"

Finally relenting, Seymour allowed Yuna's friends to accompany him on his ship. He carried Yuna into her room and put here on the bed carefully. He watched with a surge of happiness as her eyelids fluttered open. She looked at at him weakly.

"Lord Seymour? What happened? Is Sin dead?"

"Unfortunately, no. But do not worry about that. I want you to rest."

"Where's everyone else?" Yuna asked as she tried to get up.

He pushed her gently back into the bed and replied,

"Please rest, Yuna. When you are back at full health, I will answer your questions."

"...Alright."

He could tell that she wasn't pleased that he was keeping things from her and frowned. He grabbed her hands and said quietly,

"Yuna, are you scared?"

"..."

"As a summoner, you must now face horrors that you never thought existed. Hold on to your resolve. But, if you find yourself faltering..."

Yuna looked at him in anticipation of what he was about to say. She held her breath.

"Then take me as your pillar of strength. As the legendary Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon."

She watched him with a bewildered look in her eyes. He just compared them to the well-known fable of the two lovers, Yunalesca and Zaon. The two were warriors against a menace that plagued Spira, but managed to seal it away thanks to their passionate love. He had basically declared his desire to be her lover. Yuna was dumbstruck. He didn't even know her that well and she didn't really know him either.

Without waiting for a response, he swiftly left the room, leaving Yuna there with her confused heart and mind.


	8. Chapter 8

_In light of the success of Operation Mi'hen, Maester Mika has decided that a grand celebration is in order. The operation went smoother and quicker than expected, so Maester Mika and his associates are very pleased. All citizens of Spira are welcome to attend this momentous occasion and are asked to dress appropriately. Yuna, daughter of the esteemed professor, Braska, will be receiving an award for her efforts. We look forward to your attendance._

_-Maester W.K._

Seymour frowned deeply. Who was this Maester W.K.? Maester Mika was the sole ruler of Spira and this whole fiasco didn't seem like something the kindly old man would do. Defining the atrocity of Operation Mi'hen as a success was pure madness as many Spirans perished during it and Sin was still alive. They had accomplished nothing. Wanting to get some answers, he dialed Maester Mika on his CommSphere and waited patiently through the initial buzzing noises it made. No answer.

"Tromell, who gave this letter to you?"

"It was one of the warrior monks from Bevelle. I admit, I was a bit suspicious as to this man's credibility, but the letter bears the official crest of Yevon and Maester Mika."

Seymour rubbed his temples in annoyance. Just what in Spira was going on? To release his irritation, he cast a Blizzard spell at the wall, causing a misty chill in the air and causing Tromell to jump in surprise. The frozen part of the wall spread like a cancer and burst into several ice shards, clattering to the ground. He shot a glance at the frightened butler and folded his arms.

"I request the presence of Yuna and her friends. They cannot be in the dark about this."

"Right away, Master Seymour!"

* * *

><p>"You feelin' okay, Yuna?" Tidus asked, worry creasing his youthful features.<p>

Yuna was on her bed, sitting up with pillows propping her up. She looked a lot better than before, that was for sure. Her stomach was still bandaged up, but Lulu's white magic had taken care of most of the injuries. Her friends were all in the room, showing their support and care.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better." Yuna said with a nod. She gave him a sweet smile.

"You took a beating. I'm surprised you survived." Auron noted.

Yuna looked at the man who had just spoken with curious eyes. She had no idea who he was and she didn't even know he was in the room until he spoke. His appearance and tone of voice frightened her to be honest. He just looked so hardened and inured to everything.

"Um..." Yuna began, trying to find the right words in order to not come off as rude.

"This is Auron. He's an old friend of mine and apparently he's been taking care of Tidus since Jecht's...disappearance." Lulu supplied.

"Its an honor to meet you, Auron."

"Hmph."

"Hey, you don't have to be so polite to him. Auron's no one special!" Tidus teased.

"That isn't very nice, Tidus!" Yuna said in mock astonishment. "You have to be polite to everyone!"

"Says who?"

"Says me. Now stop being so ridiculous."

"You're a lot different than I remember. When did you get so brave? What happened to the shy, quiet girl who actually studied for fun?"

Yuna laughed, while shaking her head and looking at Tidus with bright eyes. He was unbelievably happy that she was alive. He couldn't stop smiling- now he really was going to get wrinkles early. He laughed along with her and talked with her to catch up on those years that he was gone from her life.

"Looks like you have competition." Auron murmured to Lulu. "Good luck trying to keep those two apart."

She glanced at Auron, then dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand.

"By the way, who's that weird guy?" Tidus asked.

"Weird? Who are you talking about?"

"You know, he's really tall and has blue hair. He's got these crazy veins on his face too."

"Oh! Why, that's Lord Seymour! Didn't he introduce himself to you?"

"Nah. After he left your room, he just walked right past us."

"Well, he's one of the professors at Bevelle Academy and he's helped us so much. He taught me a lot of fighting skills before Operation Mi'hen, so I guess you could call him my teacher. He's really nice too, if you get to know him."

"You really like him, huh?"

"I haven't known him for long, but-"

The sound of the door creaking open interrupted Yuna and Tromell entered the room at a hurried pace. He bowed to them in respect and then stood up to relay Seymour's message.

"Lord Seymour has ordered your presence in the lounge. He has some rather pressing issues to discuss with you all."

"He _orders _us? Who does this guy think he is?" Tidus said, obviously annoyed.

"Lord Seymour is an esteemed professor at Bevelle Academy as well as a summoner. Because of this, he is very wealthy. But I believe that I serve one of the greatest minds in Spira- a man who will become a shining star for all of Spira to follow. Yes, Lord Seymour is truly a great man." Tromell extolled with a proud gleam in his crinkled eyes.

"Okay...I didn't ask for his life story, but, whatever."

"Let's go, everyone. He may have found out something about Sin." Lulu stated. "We need all the information we can get."

The large party exited the room, wondering what this was all about. Just as the others crossed the threshold, Lulu stopped Yuna in her tracks and waited for everyone to be out of earshot.

"Lulu-san?"

"Yuna, I have to ask you something that has been on my mind for a while."

"What is it?"

"How do you feel about Lord Seymour?"

Yuna blinked quickly a few times, registering what Lulu just said. She avoiding looking Lulu in the eye and replied,

"He and I are just a teacher and his student. That's it."

"You sound as though you're trying to convince yourself." Lulu retorted, folding her arms and leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. "I saw you two in the training room once. You didn't look like you were training at all."

"That was an accident... I fell asleep since I was tired and I didn't know what I was doing."

"...I see."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Listen, Yuna. What I'm trying to say is that I haven't let you live your life as a young woman, figuring things out. I've kept you sheltered and forced you to behave as though you weren't growing up. The truth is, I didn't want you to grow up. I never really had any family, so when Braska came to Besaid and asked us to take care of you, I was so happy. Because of you, I had a little sister who would follow me around and I could play with her, you were always running behind me. But when you got older, you started to branch away from me... and that stung. I was selfish and kept you away from everyone else. You didn't get to experience anything outside of studying and your family. I apologize for that. So now I'm going to let you follow your heart, if you like Lord Seymour, then feel free to act on it."

"...Is that why you didn't like Lord Seymour? Because you thought he was going to take your place in my heart?"

Now Lulu kept her gaze away from Yuna and said softly,

"Yes."

She gasped in surprise when she felt Yuna pull her into a hug.

"How could you think something like that...? You're my only sister. You will always have a special place in my heart."

Lulu's eyes brimmed with tears and she let go of Yuna to wipe them away with her sleeve. She sniffed and looked at Yuna with a warm smile, then she laughed melodiously, much to Yuna's confusion. She tried to explain herself, but laughter kept interrupting the dark-haired mage. Out of breath from laughing so much, Lulu cried,

"I've never been so happy. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"Well, it has been a while since you burst into laughter like that. It made me happy too."

"Hey, you better not tell anyone that I cried though. Especially not Wakka. I'd never hear the end of it."

"Don't worry, I won't." Yuna reassured her with a giggle.

"Now let's go. I think we've kept the others waiting too long."

* * *

><p>Lulu and Yuna hurried into the lounge where everyone sat anxiously. They settled into the many seating arrangements that were in the room and waited for Seymour to speak. He stared at the letter before passing it on to the others.<p>

"What in the world...?" Lulu breathed, perusing the letter.

"Are you sure its legit? I mean, why would Maester Mika say something like that, you know?"

"I have no idea. That is precisely why I gathered you all here. To hear your opinions." Seymour replied, tapping a finger against his chin thoughtfully.

"Did you try contacting Maester Mika?" Lulu continued, handing the letter to Yuna.

"I did, but he didn't reply. This situation is quite unnerving, is it not?" Seymour commented, nodding at Tromell to pour them all tea.

"I don't know much about politics-" Tidus began.

"Or anything else, for that matter." Lulu cut in.

Auron chuckled at her bold attitude, while Yuna shook her head with a sigh.

"Hey! Anyway, it doesn't take a genius to see that there's some fishy stuff going down, am I right?"

"That's already been established. We're getting nowhere." Lulu replied.

Yuna sat there quietly, sipping her hot tea as the gears in her mind began to operate at full power. She wore a thoughtful expression on her face, her unique eyes staring at nothing in particular. Something wasn't right. The only person who had accomplished anything during Operation Mi'hen was Sin. He wanted to create death and destruction, and he got to do just that. They hadn't won by any means at all. Unless..

Yuna gasped, breaking the heavy silence that descended in the room. All eyes turned to her.

"Are you alright? Do you need to lie down?" Lulu asked.

"N-no...I'm okay. I just thought of something."

"What is it?" Seymour inquired, eagerly leaning forward in his chair.

"Maester Mika and The Court of Yevon believe that we succeeded in Operation Mi'hen, although it ended terribly. Which means that they must have had another goal in mind. It's hard to believe that the most holy would have a secret agenda, but we have to consider every possibility. If I'm right, then their goal has to be the destruction of Spira."

"What? That isn't possible. Bevelle sent all their forces to join the fight in Operation Mi'hen." Lulu reasoned.

"Yeah... I gotta agree with Lulu on this one. Why would they wanna do somethin' like that?" Tidus said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Kimahri not sure about this. Yuna making little sense."

"Yevon's kept Spira in one piece forever, yah? What would be the point in destroying it?"

Seymour was silent. His ears were alert, ready to hear her response. His claws slightly dug into the velvet couch from the anticipation.

"I know its... outlandish, but hear me out. Please?"

"We're listening." Seymour said, his eyes never leaving her.

"Remember the other summoners that were supposed to come help us? They didn't come. And most of the people that were fighting were volunteers- citizens of Spira." Yuna looked up at the ceiling in worry. "It's like they wanted all those people to die. The pieces fit, I just need more information."

"And how are you going to learn more?" Lulu asked.

"I have a plan." Yuna answered. "We should go to this celebration and find out everything we can."

"So...we're gonna be like spies and sneak around and stuff?" Tidus added.

"Something like that. It's our only chance to figure out what they're up to."

Everyone was in agreement and made plans to attend the party in Bevelle. What they would find out upon arriving, however, would shock everyone to the core.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the late update! I recently got into Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and I couldn't put it down... O.O Well, that and night school.<strong>

**Anyway, R&R and stay tuned.**


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